UT regents call for review of policies

AUSTIN — Jarred by two recent scandals involving coaches and students, Texas’ board of regents on Sunday called for a review of policies concerning employee-student relationships at all 15 of its institutions.

Two days after UT revealed that assistant football coach Major Applewhite was disciplined in 2009 for what was termed a one-time “inappropriate, consensual behavior” with a student, the regents met in executive session via teleconference for more than two hours Sunday afternoon.

The meeting included only UT system personnel, and neither university president Bill Powers nor athletic director DeLoss Dodds took part. The regents were not available for comment after the meeting, and chancellor Francisco Cigarroa declined to answer questions.

About three hours later, the regents released a four-paragraph statement announcing Paul Foster, first vice chairman of the board, “will lead a dedicated and focused effort to review and study all policies in place concerning relationships between UT employees and students at all 15 UT institutions.”

The statement did not mention either Applewhite or Bev Kearney, the women’s track and field coach who was forced to resign last month after UT investigated her for an extended relationship with a student-athlete in 2002.

A source familiar with the situation said Kearney is considering filing a lawsuit against the university based upon the claim that she was treated differently than other UT employees who have had similar relationships with students.

Kearney, 55, was placed on administrative leave when UT officials became aware of her relationship last October, more than 10 years after it began. At the time of her resignation in January, UT vice president for legal affairs Patti Ohlendorf said the school was prepared to fire her.

According to a statement released by Dodds on Friday, he learned of Applewhite’s situation the same month the incident happened on a Fiesta Bowl trip in 2009. Dodds said Applewhite took responsibility, and met with a counselor. His pay was frozen for 11 months, but he’s since been promoted twice, including last December.

Applewhite, 34, is now co-offensive coordinator and the main play-caller for the Longhorns. He was paid a salary of $575,000 in 2012.

According to The Associated Press, Kearney was about to receive a raise from $297,000 to $397,000 when she was suspended last fall.

UT already has policies discouraging relationships between employees and students. One UT rule requires employees to disclose such relationships to a supervisor. In their statement, the regents said the rule “will be reviewed for possible strengthening.”

The regents also said they plan to reach out to national experts to assist in the review.

“Our goal is to be both timely and thorough in building a model that can be used nationwide as an example of best practices in dealing with these critically important issues of student protection and student safety,” the statement said.